At a glance
- The first report of the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health was released in 1964. It was a landmark first step to diminish the impact of tobacco use on the health of the American people. Over the course of more than 40 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health has been responsible for 35 reports on the health consequences of smoking.
Featured Surgeon General Reports
Learn more about the History of the Surgeon General's Reports on Smoking and Tobacco Use.
2024—Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities: A Report of the Surgeon General
The first report of the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health was released in 1964. It was a landmark first step to diminish the impact of tobacco use on the health of the American people. The new report – the 35th on Smoking and Health – reviews the latest scientific evidence on commercial tobacco-related health disparities in the United States. It documents that we’ve made significant progress reducing commercial tobacco use in the United States overall, but tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke has not decreased at the same rate across all population groups.
Get the consumer guide, fact sheets, and a video.
Download the full 2024 Surgeon General's Report or Executive Summary.
2020—Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General
The first Surgeon General’s report on smoking cessation in 20 years, this report emphasizes that one of the most important actions people can take to improve their health is to quit smoking, regardless of their age or how long they have been smoking. This report also highlights the latest scientific evidence on the health benefits of quitting smoking, as well as proven treatments and strategies to help people successfully quit smoking.
Find individual chapters, consumer guides, fact sheets, infographics, and videos here.
Download the full 2020 Surgeon General's Report or Executive Summary.
All Tobacco-Related Reports of the Surgeon General
- See a timeline of all tobacco prevention and control reports. This is a full list of all Surgeon General's Reports on Smoking and Tobacco Use, categorized by decade, with links to full reports and free downloads.
Featured Past Reports
2016—E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults
This is the first report issued by a federal agency to comprehensively review the public health issue of electronic cigarettes and their impact on our nation’s young people. The report highlights the rapidly changing patterns of e-cigarette use among youth and young adults, assesses what is known about the health effects of using these products, and describes strategies that tobacco companies use to recruit youth and young adults to try or continue using e-cigarettes. The report also outlines interventions that can be adopted to minimize the harm these products cause to our nation’s youth.
2014—The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress
This report highlights the progress our nation has made reducing tobacco use in the 50 years since the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health. It outlines the continuing burden of disease and death caused by smoking, and identifies additional diseases and conditions causally related to secondhand smoke exposure.
2012—Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults
This report adds to our knowledge about the prevalence, causes, effects, and implications of tobacco use by young people. It details the factors that lead youth and young adults to initiate tobacco use, and the devastating health and economic impact of that decision on our nation as well as on individuals, their families, and their communities. This report also identifies proven, effective strategies that have the potential to dramatically reduce tobacco use.
2010—How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease
This report is a comprehensive, scientific discussion of how tobacco smoke, including secondhand smoke exposure, damages the human body. The report focuses on cigarettes and cigarette smoke to show how cigarettes cause addiction and death. It includes effective interventions for tobacco control and prevention.
2006—The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke
This report updates the evidence about the harmful effects of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. It shows that smoke-free policies are the most economical and effective approach to protecting others from exposure to secondhand smoke. Research shows that restriction of smoking to protect people who do not smoke has had the additional health impact of reducing the number of smokers in the U.S.